Hopper car construction



HOPPER CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed July 16, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. RGYLE CAMPBELL June 6, 1933. A. CAMPBELL HOPPER CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed July 16, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ARGYLE, MPBELL. 9

ATTO Y.

June 6, 1933. A. CAMPBELL 1,912,619

HOPPER CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed July 16, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I N VEN TOR. QMPBELI. J. (M;

llllll III I l lHH l lHHH HHHHHH ARG YLE 7% Patented June 6, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE e ARGYLE CA PBELL, or QHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To ENTERPRISE RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A coaroaATIo-N or ILLINOIS HorrERcAncoNs'rRuorIoN Application filed July 16,

My inventionrelates to railway hopper car construction, and more particularly to the hopper wall construction and related door framing construction, and is by way of a continuation in part of my pending application, Serial No. 531,469, filed April 20, 1931, for Railway hopper cars.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved hopper structure such as will receive and support a door frame surrounding the bottom and side walls of a hopper discharge opening. 1

Another object ofmy invention is to provide a hopper car construction having relatively thin sheet metal wallsat the top,vbot'- tom and sides of the discharge opening and to provide a frame structure which will pro,- tect. the marginal edges of such thin walls as are most subject to corrosion. and excessive wear.

A further object of my invention is to ar range door framing and related parts in such a manner that the marginal edges of I the hopper bottom and side walls which are usually subjected to the most severe corrosion will-be protected by a marginal reinforcing member extending beyond the said edges and which will still serve to maintain connections at the meeting edges of the various walls entering into and defining the hopper construction.

Afurther object of my invention is to pro- *viide other details andarrangement of parts which will hereinafter appear in the fol- T lowingdescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate the embodiment ofmy invention.

With reference to these drawings,

Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the lower part of a hopper car showing a portion of a hopper car on one side of the centersill and showing the door in elevation;

Fig. 2 is alongitud-inal vertical section through that part of thecar shown in Fig. 1 and taken substantiallyzon a line 22 of Fig. 1, illustrating'the hopper door in closed position in relation to the hopper frame;

Fig- 3 is a longitudinal view in elevation 1931; Serial No. 551,159.

of the outer side of the hopper, hopper frame, door and related structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of a hopper similarto Fig. 1, illustrating a modification in which my improvements are shown as applied to a car having a modified form of centersill construction; anc

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view as viewed on a line 5--5 of Fig. 4.

' Referring first to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, illustrating my im provements as embodied in a hopper car of the W type in which the hoppers depend below the centersill structure and are arranged in transversely aligned pairs on opposite sides of the centersill and which have a discharge opening and door for each opening.

The two doors of each pair are transversely aligned and connected by a brace beam to be operated in unison. Since the hopper structures on both sides ofthe centersill are the same, the drawings illustrate the details of the structure on one sideof the centersill only. s I

In Fig. 1, one of the centersill members 10 is illustrated in the center and is of the type having a vertical web 11 and having a lower flange 12 outstanding from the marginal web'and an inwardly extending upper flange 13 adjacent the upper portionof the centersill member. The upper flanges of the centersill members are connected by the usual coverplate 14, the said centersill structure being capped by a surrounding ridge structure 15. One of the side walls of the car is illustrated by the side sheet 16 and lower reinforcing member 17. I

The hopper on each side of the centersill is defined by upper and lower longitudinaL ly sloping walls 18 and 19 respectively, and by inner and outer substantially vertical side walls 20 and 21 respectively. The outer wall 21 has a basezportion 22 secured to the side wall ofthe car and has a portion 23 flanged supporting the inner portion of the sloping hopper sheet 18. The inner hopper sheet a at its upper edge is provided with a base portion which is vertically disposed in a plane parallel to the centersill web 11 and secured thereto by a series of rivets 26. The main portion of the hopper sheet 20 is deflected downwardly at a steep angle as indicated at 27 where it crosses the outwardly extending flange 12'of the centersill and then continues vertically downwardly where it joins the sloping bottom sheet 19 by being flanged under the same as indicated at 28.

Adjacent the hopper opening, the said inner side wall sheet 20 is provided with a portion embossed outwardly to accommodate a marginal reinforcing frame member. This embossment is formed by disposing a flat portion 29 of the side wall for an appreciable distance beyond the centersill bottom flange 12, said fiat portion, being connected to the base portion by a sloping section 30 which extends at a more acute angle than the portion 27. The flat face 29 is also connected to the sloping portion 27 and to the body portion 20 by a sloping section 31, said wall sections 29, 30 and 31 cooperating to form a truncate-like shaped embossment. The said wall sections 25, 30 and 29 are extended lengthwise of the car beyond and beneath the upper sloping wall section 18 and the margins bent to present an outstanding flange 32 which underlies the upper hopper sheet 18 and is riveted thereto. Said outstanding wall flange 32 is extended transversely of the car beyond the marginal edge of the upper sloping floor 18 for a limited distance and presents a gusset section 33 at the intersection of the plates 18 and 29.

The inner and outer walls and the bottom sloping wall of the hopper are surrounded.

by a reinforcing frameA. This reinforcement member may be in the form of a rolled section or of cast metal and is appreciably of T-shape section and bent to conform to the shape of the opening as defined by the hopper walls. This frame member thus takes the form of a U or a stirrup having a substantially horizontally extending portion 34 extending across the bottom edge of the hopper and inner and outer substantially vertical walls or leg portions 35 and 36 respectively, which extend around the respective inner and outer walls 20 and 21. The frame member A has an extended flat portion 37 which is secured to the hopper wall by a series of rivets: v38. I The stem of the T-section is formed by a flange 39 out-standing therefrom at a location centrally between the extended boundaries ofthe flat portion 37'. The inner leg 35 of the frame A is extended upwardly above the lower portion of the centersill into the space provided by the embossed portion of the side of the inner hopper side 20.

Beneath the top floor plate 18 there is disposed a combination reinforcing and hingebutt member B which is preferably of angular formation with one flange 40 underlying and secured to the hopper floor 18 and another flange 41 extended at an angle to the first named flange for the purpose of reinforcing and providing the necessary strength against bending. Adjacent the centersill the hingebutt member B is provided with a flange 42 whereby connection is effected with the centersill, and adjacent the outer side wall of the hopper the member is provided with a flange 43 which overlies and is secured to the outer hopper sheet and to the frame member A by a rivet 44. The flange portion 40 adjacent the outer ends of the hopper is provided with recessed portions as indicated at 45 and 46 respectively, for the purpose of accommodating the outside mar ginal flanges 32 and 23 of the respective side hopper walls 20 and 21.

Integral hinge lugs 47-47 are formed on the-hingebutt member and arranged in pairs and these hinge lugs 47 extend outwardly from the depending flange 41 to provide a mounting for a discharge door C.

The door C is of pan shape formation comprising a body plate 48 having marginal inner and outer side flanges 49 and'50 respectively, and a bottom flange 51 turned toward the hopper, said flanges being arranged when the door is in closed position to overlie the door frame A. The door C is provided with hinge straps 52 which are secured by the rivets 61 to the door plate, the upper end of the door straps forming hinge loops for the hinge pins 62, these loops being positioned between the pairs of hinge lugs 47. The upper portion 63 of the door plate is curved rearwardly concentric with the hinge axis, and extends below the free edge of the upper hopper sheet 18, the latter overlying the curved portion of the door plate in tangential relation, said edge portion 63 thus providing a closed joint between the door and hopper floor in any position in which the door may be swung. I

Adjacent the lower edge of the door there is a beam member 64, which extends the full width of the door at the lower edge thereof and which is extended to include the corresponding door ofthe transversely aligned hopper. When the door is in closed position the face of the body of the door plate 48 abuts the marginal-edges 65 of the door frame and provides a tight seal all around the bottom and side edges of the door.

The marginal edges of the respective inner and outer side hopper walls are sheared on the bias as indicated at 66 and 67 respectively,- said marginal edges extending at an angle from the junction of the side hopper plates with the upper hopper plate 18 to a location adjacentthe bot tom of the hopper which is spaced appreciably from the face of thedoor.

The marginal edge of the hopper bottom plate 19Iis likewise spaced an appreciable distance from the face of the door and the space intermediate the said spaced marginal edges and the face of the door is spanned by the extendedbody portions 37 of the frame structure. 1 This arrangement of spacing the marginal edges of the thin hopper plates from the face of the door adjacent the lower portion of the hopper and spanning the distance by a heavy frame member, is particularly advantageous in protecting the marginal edges of the thin hopper plates from corrosion, inasmuch as moisture, ice, snow and corrosive influences percolate to the lower portion of the hopper to be there retained and consequently there is a strong tendency for these edge portions to corrode and cause leakage around the edge portion of the discharge opening. The fact that the outstanding stem 39 of the T-shaped reinforcement or frame memberis centrally disposedbetween the eXtended boundaries of the body portion 37 provides a very strong hopper construction beneath the spaced marginal edges of the door plates and serves to maintain said edges against warping.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5, my improvement-s are shown as applied to a hopper car having ordinary commercial form of rolled channels for the centersill construction which calls for certain modifications in the hingebutt and hopper construction. r

In this modification the centersill includes channel members having inwardly directed upper and lower flanges 101 and 1 02 respectively. The centersill coverp late 1s mdicated at 103 and the supporting rldge structure at 104, said supporting ridge being formed with. an outstanding flange 105 which assists in supporting the adjacenthopper.

That part of the hopper which 1s mod fied from the construction previously described includes the inner vertical side hopper sheet 106 having a base portion 108 secured to the web of the centersill, said hopper plate having an outwardly embossed portion 109 connected with the main body plates by means of sloping offsets 110 and 111 cooperating to present a truncate Iike shaped embossment. The portions 110 and 108 are eX- tended lengthwise of the car beyond and beneath the upper sloping hopper sheet 112 and are flanged below the latter to present the outstanding flange 11.3. Said flange 113 in cooperation with the flange 105 of the ridge acting as a support for the upper hopper floor sheet 112. i I

Underlying the upper hopper sheet adjacent the lower margin thereof is a com bined'hingebutt and reinforcmgmember E which forms a support for the upper edge of the inner hopper sheet. The outstanding fiange113 of the hopper sheet is continued downwardly for a limited distance, as indicated at 116, for the purpose of providing strengthat the meeting edges of the upper hopper sheet and side hopper sheet, saidflange 116 being of generally triangular formation and merging into the offset portion 109 of the embossment.

A frame member G of T-shape formation extends around the bottom and side edges of the hopper and extends above the lower margin of the centersill into the space providedby the offset hopper sheet and is secured by rivets 117 to the outwardly offset portion 109. The said hopper sheetvat its lower margin is flanged outwardly at 118to underlie the sloping bottom hopper sheet 119, and the sheet 119 has its marginal edge terminating an appreciable distance fromthe face i of the door. The marginal edge of the offset portion 109 of the side wall extends on thebias, asindicated at 120, from the said marginal edge of bottom wall 119 to a location adjacent the face of the door near the upper portion of the hopper.

- I claim:

1. In a railway car, the combination with a hopper including side walls and top and bottom sloping walls spaced from each other; of a stirrup structure embracing the respective side walls and the bottom walls and secured thereto; a discharge door having its face adapted to. abut the said stirrup structure when the door is in closed position, said i it said side walls and lower wall and secured thereto, said stirrup structure defining three sides of a discharge opening; a discharge door adapted when in closed position to abut the outer marginal edge of said stirrup structure, said stirrup structure extending beyond the marginal edge of the lowerwall and be yond the-marginal edge of the lower portion of the side walls, said marginal edges of the respective side walls extending 011 the bias to provide a greaterfdistance between the edges of the walls and the face of the door adjacent the free edge of the door. a

3. In arailway car, the combination of a hopper structure including vertical side walls spaced from each other transversely of the car and adapted to meet substantially with a bottom wall and an upper floor plate sloping lengthwise of the car; a frame structure ex tending around the side and bottom walls and defining a discharge opening, said frame structure presenting an abutting face for a discharge door, the marginal edge of the hopper bottom wall being spaced an appreciable distance from the face of the door when the said door is in closed position and the marginal edge of the side walls extending on the bias from the spaced marginal edge of the bottom wall to meet the marginal edge of the upper sloping floor plate at the junction of the upper sloping plate and the adjacent vertical side wall.

4. In a railway car, the combination of a centersill and a hopper structure disposed at the side of the centersill and including innor and outer side walls spaced from each other transversely of the car, and upper and lower sloping walls sloping lengthwise of the car, said upper sloping wall being adapted to meet and be united with the inner side wall; a discharge door pivotally mounted adjacent the marginal edge of the upper sloping wall, said door when in closed position having its face adjacent the hinged edge of the door, adapted to contact with the free edge of the upper sloping wall and adjacent the free edge of the door, said door having its face spaced an appreciable distance from the marginal edges of the lower sloping wall and the lower portion of the inner and outer side walls; and a frame structure secured to the inner side wall and extended beyond the marginal edge of the same to bridge the space intermediate the marginal edges of said wall and the face of the door.

5. In a railway car, the combination of a centersill; of a hopper structure adjacent said centersill, including a door hinged ad j acent the upper portion of the hopper structure, said hopper structure including inner and outer side walls and a bottom wall, a stirrup construction extending around said side and bottom walls; and a sloping floor plate adapted to meet and be secured to the side walls adjacent the upper portion of the hopper structure, said hopper bottom wall, when the door is in closed position, being spaced an appreciable distance from the face of the door, each side wall of the hopper having its marginal edge extending on the bias from the spaced marginal edge of the bottom wall to meet the marginal edge of the upper sloping floor plate at the junction of the upper sloping floor plate and the associated side walls.

6. In a hopper construction, the combination with a centersill; of a side hopper sheet having a base portion secured to the centersill and having a portion embossed from the main portion of the plate to provide a truncate-shaped embossment with a flat wall portion substantially parallel to the base portion of the plate, a laterally extending floor plate adapted to extend up to and be united with the said truncate-shaped embossment to form with said side wall two sides of a hopper; and a frame structure extended into the space provided by said embossment between the centersill and flat wall portion of the embossment and secured to the latter.

7. In a railway car, the combination with the centersill; of a hopper structure adjacent said centersill, said hopper structure being defined in part by a side Wall having a base portion secured to the centersill and having a portion embossed outwardly from said base portion to provide a space between the centersill and the embossed portion; a frame structure disposed in said space and secured to said embossed portion, said frame structure presenting a marginal edge portion forming an abutment for a discharge door, said embossed portion which is secured to the frame structure having its marginal edge lying adjacent the abutting marginal edge of the frame structure at the upper portion of the hopper and receding away from said marginal edge at the lower portion of the hopper.

8. In a railway car, the combination of a hopper structure including side, bottom and top walls spaced apart to provide a discharge op-enlng, a stirrup structure extending around the bottom and side walls of the hopper; a discharge door positioned beneath the top wall and adapted to abut the marginal edges of the stirrup structure when the door is in closed position, said bottom and side walls adjacent the lower portion of the hopper being spaced an appreciable distance from the face of the door, said side walls adjacent the upper portion of the hopper being unit-ed with the top wall of the hopper, each said side wall adjacent the upper portion of the hopper lying substantially adjacent the face of the door and adjacent the lower portion of the door being spaced appreciably from the face of the door.

9. In a railway car, the combination of a hopper structure havinga lower section defined in part by side walls spaced apart and a bottom wall extending between said side walls, a frame structure overlying said side and bottom walls and secured thereto, said frame structure having a portion extending beyond the marginal edges of said side and bottom walls, the degree of extension being greatest at the lower portion of the hopper and gradually receding towards the upper portion of the hopper; and an upper sloping floor plate sloping towards the hopper section and meeting the side walls of the hopper and secured thereto, said upper floor plate walls by means of flanges extending outwardly therefrom and underlying the said floor plate.

10. In a railway car, the combination of a centersill having a substantially vertical web and aflange at the lower margin outstanding from said web, a hopper structure positioned at the side of said sill including an inner side wall having a base portion secured to the centersill, said inner side wall having a portion extending below the said centersill;

a door frame structure having portion in terposed between the said hopper inner wall and centersill, said inner wall having a truncate-like shaped section offset from the base portion of the plat-e to accommodate said frame portion, said base portion and trun- Cate-like portion adjacent the upper portion of the hopper having its margin deflected outwardly to provide an outstanding flange; and an upper sloping wall extending laterallyfrom said inner wall and overlying and secured to said outstanding flange.

11. In a railway car, the combination of a sill structure including a beam member having a substantially vertical web and an outstanding flange; a hopper at one side of said sill, said hopper including inner and, outer side walls extending lengthwise of the centersill and upper and lower sloping wall plates extending transversely of the car, said inner side wall having a main body portion extending substantially parallel to the centersill web at a location beyond said outstanding flange; a door frame structure lying between said inner hopper wall and said outstanding flange; and a truncate-like portion embossed outwardly beyond the said main body portion of the said inner plate and lying outwardly of the door framestructure, said embossed portion being extended lengthwise beyond and flanged beneath the upper sloping wall and united thereto.

12. In a railway car, the combination with a centersill having an upstanding web; of a hopper structure to one side of said centersill including a floor sloping lengthwise of the car and extending laterally from said centersill, a substantially vertical side wall having a base portion secured to said centersill and having an embossed portion disposed outwardly beyond the base portion, said embossed portion including an inclined shedding portion and a depending wall section spaced from the centersill and disposed substantially parallel with the base portion, said last named inclined shedding portion and vertical depending wall portions being extended lengthwise of the car and having a marginal portion flange-d beneath the transversely sloping floor sheet and secured thereto; a reinforcing member underlying and secured to said transverse floor sheet and member {the side hopper wall. i

flanged side hopper wall, said reinforcing having hinge bracket portion formed integrally therewith; and a discharge door pivot-ally mounted on said bracket portions, said door when in closed position havv" ing its face lying against the outstanding flange. of theside hopper sheet at the upper portion of the hopper, and adjacent the lower portion of the hopper being spaced an appreciable fdistancefrom the marginal edge of thehopper sheet; and a frame member interposed between the hopper sheet and the the centersill, said frame member being like portion embossed outwardly beyond the centersill to provide a flat portion disposed an appreciable distance beyond the centersill; a frame structuredisposed inthe space between the centersill and embossed flat portion of the side walls and secured to the latter, said'truncate-like portion including an inclined portion adapted to bridge at an incline the distance between the centersill and the flat wallportion, said inclined portion and flatportion being extended beyond the upper sloping floor and flanged beneath the same; and a reinforcing member extending lengthwise adjacent the outermargin of the sloping wall, said member being secured to the centersill and underlying the said outstanding flange of theinner: side wall/q 14. In a railway car, theFcornbin'ation'l of a sill structure including a beam member having substantially vertical webs and an outstanding flange; a hopper at one side of said sill, said hopper including inner and outer side wall plates and upper and lower sloping wall plates; said inner wall plate having a main body portion extending substantially parallel to the web beyond the outstanding flange; a door frame structure lying between said inner hopper wall and the said outstanding flange; and a truncate-like portion embossed outwardly beyond the main body of the plate to present a wall section lying outwardly of the door frame structure, said embossed portion being extended beyond and flanged beneath the upper sloping wall and united thereto, and a reinforcing member extending below the upper sloping floor plate and the outstanding flange of the inner wall.

15. In a railway car, the combinationof a hopper structure defined in part by a slopmeeting with said upper floor plate, said side wall being extended below the sloping floor section to form one of the walls of the hopper structure and defining another boundary of the discharge opening, said side wall plate 7 having a flange extending outwardly therefrom and underlying the upper floor sheet and secured thereto, said flange being extended downwardly below the upper floor plate to present a gusset-like bracing connectlon between said upper wall and side wall; a discharge door underlying the said upper floor plate and extended portion of the outstanding flange, said side wall beyond the flange having its marginal edge gradually receding away from the face of the door; and a door frame structure secured to the side wall adapted to span the distance intermediate the receding marginal edge of the side wall plate and the face of the door.

16. In a railway car, the combination with a hopper including substantially vertical side Walls spaced apart and sloping top and bottom walls forming a discharge opening; of a reinforcing frame having side and bottom portions extending around said side and bottom walls, a door adapted to cooperate with said frame, the marginal edge of said side walls adjacent the top wall of the'hopper lying adjacent the face of the door and diverging therefrom towards the lower portion of the hopper to be an appreciable distance from the face of the door at the lower portion of the hopper, the marginal edge of said side walls extending from the top of the hopper to the bottom of the hopper on the bias and the space intermediate said edge and the face of the door being bridged by the frame stru'cture, said frame structure being of a T-shape 1 section with the stem outstanding centrally of the extended boundaries of the secton.

ARGYLE CAMPBELL. 

